A blind schoolboy can play out in safety at his Scout hut – after builders stepped in to repair the road it is on.

HAPPY TO HELP: Jack Glaister with James Guilfoyle who repaired the uneven road after reading about Jack's plight

A blind schoolboy can play out in safety at his Scout hut – after builders stepped in to repair the road it is on.

Jack Glaister, 12, and his family called for action to fix a dangerous pavement outside the hut on Bedford Street, Reddish, Stockport, so he could walk there and meet up with friends without fear of falling.

But Stockport council said they couldn’t repair the cracked, uneven and overgrown paving slabs because the road is unadopted.

So local contractor James Guilfoyle stepped in to save the day, volunteering to carry out the repairs for free after reading about Jack in the M.E.N.’s sister paper the Stockport Express. James, who owns Advanced Groundworks and lives in Reddish, completely transformed the street, resurfacing the pavement and re-laying all the flags.

Now Jack’s dad Sean says his family, who live on nearby Finsbury Street, can’t thank James enough.

Jack, a pupil at St Thomas More College in Denton, was born blind, owing to a condition called Leber’s Amaurosis.

His dad said: “Jack and James got on like a house on fire and James is just a really good bloke. We’re so grateful to him.

“Jack is over the moon. No 12-year-old wants to have to hold their dad’s hand to get somewhere. This has given him his independence.

“James wanted to do something about the road for years, but it was only when he read in the paper that it was unadopted that he realised he could.

“It also meant that the community found out about the Scout hut and now people are booking it out. It’s been a big thing for all the community, and has given us all a lift. We just hope the council will agree to adopt the road, now that it’s been brought up to a good standard.”

Jack’s Scoutmaster Peter Leigh and Reddish councillor Kate Butler had also been campaigning for the road to be fixed.

In June, Stockport council said it would only be able to adopt the road if it was brought up to scratch by someone else first. But the council says it is still unable to adopt the road as it still requires alterations to the kerb and drainage system to meet its criteria.

A spokesman said: “As a gesture of goodwill, the council loaned three bollards to prevent further damage to the footway.

“There are certain criteria to meet to bring a public highway up to acceptable standards.”

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